Life After Graduating

Zoekjaar Visa The zoekjaar is a year visa that can be obtained after graduating from a Dutch university or higher educational institution, which is designed to give graduates the time and space to set themselves up in the Netherlands after their studies. During this year you are generally able to do whatever you want, you can work, you can become self-employed and you can also not work, with the idea that you get ready for the next visa that you want to apply to. For more comprehensive information, and a guide to applying, go here⁠⁠⁠⁠. There is…

The Dutch and EU permanent residence permits are residence permits that allow you to live in the Netherlands for as long as you like with much less restrictions than the other visas. You can apply for these permits if you have been living in the Netherlands for over five years without any gaps* Predominantly those who have studied in the Netherlands apply for the Dutch permit as it takes into account your years studying and the zoekjaar, while the EU permit takes these into consideration as if they were a reduced period (student years count half and the zoekjaar doesn’t count at all).…

Here are a list of Dutch-based funding and residency opportunities which could be of interest. Websites that amalgamate various funds: Cultureel Avonturiers⁠⁠⁠⁠ BeroepKunstenaar⁠⁠⁠⁠: amalgamation of funding opportunities for artists in the Netherlands On The Move⁠⁠⁠⁠ (resources for cultural mobility across Europe and guides to funds in different countries around the world) Labs for Culture⁠⁠⁠⁠ (the link redirects…

Here is a list of legal resources: For free legal advice, contact Juridischloket⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can also find other options for legal support here⁠⁠⁠⁠. MORES⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a central, collective disclosure office for undesirable behaviour in the Dutch cultural and creative sector. You can contact them via email or phone to talk about your experiences - they can listen, advise, and help you take things further if you so wish. It is completely confidential. Engagement Arts…

Helpful resources include: Kunstenaarshonorarium⁠⁠⁠⁠: a calculator and set of guidelines for artist fees in the Netherlands. Platform BK⁠⁠⁠⁠: an organisation for everyone who is committed to the visual arts in the Netherlands that represents artists, curators, designers, critics and others who work in the art sector or have a warm heart for it. Together with their members, Platform BK form an active think tank: taking action for a better art policy and conducting research into the role of art in society.…

Rietveld Mulch Online⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a platform that gathers practical and encouraging information that can help graduates build a healthy art practice. The chosen subject for the platform is Funding as Foundations. The Mulch Online Platform consists of gathered, scavenged and picked multidisciplinary information that can help new graduates with constructing their own Mulch. In different layers of Mulch you can find answers to frequently asked questions, tips for applying for funds and writing cv’s, repository of funds, archive of publications,…

The Life After Sandberg Symposium is an event, open to all Master students to have discussions and conversations around the possibilities they have after they graduate. They discuss possibilities for their lives after Sandberg: Questions around legal procedures visa applications and setting up your own freelance practice? How to organise yourselves either around an art space or by applying to residency programmes? And how to find money to fund your projects? The symposium is held once a year and it is announced to all students and alumni from Sandberg Instituut.